


Listen

by lookingforthestars



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-20 07:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4779098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookingforthestars/pseuds/lookingforthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team works to save Paige and Ralph after they're taken hostage on a train, but Walter discovers that he may have to pay the ultimate price to free them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drop

Paige pored thoughtfully over the contents of her bag. "Hey, did you get the—."

"Chargers? Yes." Walter swung his luggage onto the bed next to hers.

"What about the tickets? And the—."

"Paige!" Walter laughed before reaching over to squeeze her hand. "We've got everything. We're ready."

"I'm not sure ready is the right word for it," the liaison grumbled as she pulled the zipper closed on her red suitcase. Walter took hold of her shoulders and turned her around to face him, smirking at her exaggerated pout.

"Paige, you're ready," he insisted, rubbing his thumbs along her skin. "Your mother is looking forward to your visit, and Ralph and I will there. Nothing is going to go wrong."

She couldn't help but smile a little at his protectiveness. "And you only state facts, right?" she joked.

"Right." Walter released her and picked up both of their suitcases. "We should leave now to give ourselves time for any unexpected delays."

"Okay." Paige double-checked to make sure the tickets were in her purse and extended her arm in front of her. "Lead the way."

They were barely down the stairs from the loft when Cabe stepped in front of Walter with an apologetic look on his face. "Son, we've got a case."

Walter readjusted the bags in his hands and circled around Cabe. "Tell them I'm on vacation."

"No can do," the agent replied, crossing his arms in front of him. "Homeland crisis. Director Molina needs your software capabilities and the shrink's behavioral skills to stop the sale of important government secrets."

The genius groaned. "Maybe if the government was involved in fewer questionable activities…" Walter suggested as Cabe gave him a warning glare. "Fine. How long will this take?"

"Don't know," the older man answered with a shrug. "This is a big job, we might be burning the midnight oil."

"It's okay," Paige jumped in before Walter could respond. "We'll reschedule our trip. Not a big deal."

"Paige, no," Walter said, turning his attention toward her. "You've been planning this for weeks. You and Ralph should go."

"Walt's right," Cabe interjected. "We can manage one case without you. We'll call if we need your expertise."

Paige looked uncertainly between the genius and the agent. "I don't like the idea of leaving during a case. It won't make a difference if we go next week—."

"Statistically, that's not exactly true," Ralph claimed as he walked out of the bathroom, rubbing an extra dose of antibacterial gel on his hands. "You're nervous about seeing grandma—if we don't leave today, it's likely that you'll develop excuses to postpone the trip indefinitely."

The liaison sighed. Clearly her son had been spending too much time with Toby.

She crouched down, brushing Ralph's bangs out of his face. "But honey, I know how excited you were about spending time with Walter."

The young genius looked up at Walter and grinned. "It's okay. The world needs him more than I do today."

Paige's heart skipped a beat at his words. It was clear that Ralph idolized Walter, and although she worried that he might share the same tendency toward reckless behavior, she could see Ralph picking up Walter's good qualities as well—his selflessness, for one. She took a deep breath and stood. "Fine. But call us if you need  _anything_ , okay? We'll fly back if we need to."

Cabe nodded and left to make a phone call. Walter grabbed Paige's hand and pulled her away from Ralph, who was now intently studying a clock on the wall. "I'll join you as soon as I'm done, I promise. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

She gave him a reassuring smile and touched her palm to his face. "We'll be fine." Paige leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "But I'll miss you."

Walter laughed, but he was looking at her in the appreciative way that always made her knees feel a little weak. "Me too. Call me when you and Ralph get to Phoenix."

* * *

"This train could go a lot faster," Ralph said in between bites of his peanut butter sandwich.

The train seemed fast enough to Paige, but she'd learned that the best answer to Ralph was usually, "How?"

She listened intently to his answer, which was pretty much incomprehensible to her from the beginning, but she was careful never to discourage him from sharing his thoughts with her. Paige wanted to connect with her son, and the Scorpion team helped her do that—but she'd come to accept that she and Ralph might never have that much in common, and she just had to dedicate herself to the things that mattered to him. She still wished that Walter was with them, though. It felt good to watch somebody engage Ralph's intelligence, even if it wasn't her.

After he'd thoroughly discussed how to build a more efficient engine—Paige guessed, anyway—he slumped back in his seat. "I miss Walter."

The liaison let out a soft laugh. "I know, me too." She leaned forward and patted Ralph's knee, trying her best to give him an encouraging smile. "But when he's done at Homeland, he'll be right here with us. He promised, and you know Walter always keeps his promises."

"Okay," Ralph shrugged, seeming satisfied. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you scared?"

Paige furrowed her brows and leaned closer to him. "Scared about what, Ralph?"

"About seeing your mom," Ralph said matter-of-factly, and Paige kicked herself for not understanding what he'd meant. "Are you going to fix things?"

After her conversation with Walter, Paige decided it was best to come clean to Ralph about her parents. He had never asked, and she'd only given him bits and pieces—the full story was too difficult. When she was done, Ralph simply looked at her and nodded before going back to his book. With Ralph's apparent encouragement, and Walter holding on to her hand, she'd finally had enough courage to pick up the phone.

"I'm a little scared," she admitted, moving across the row so that she was sitting next to him. "I don't know if I can fix things, but at least I can try. That's all we can really do, right? Just try."

"Yeah." Ralph fell into deep thought, and Paige assumed she'd lost him to the world of physics or chemistry or calculus again. "Do you think grandma will like me?"

The liaison was caught completely off guard by Ralph's question, but she recovered quickly and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Grandma and I are very similar in a lot of ways," she said, gently pulling him closer to her. "And I love you more than anything else in this world, so she will too. Okay?"

Ralph absorbed her answer and looked up, giving her a genuine smile she worried for years that she might not ever see. "Okay."

* * *

It had only taken about thirty minutes for Ralph to fall soundly asleep—he might be a genius, but he was still a kid. He was curled up with his head in her lap, and Paige enjoyed the uninterrupted physical contact while she flipped through her mystery book. Time to read  _and_  time with Ralph—she should take the train more often.

"Excuse me?" Paige said quietly while flagging down the passenger attendant, a tall woman in a navy uniform. "Can I get a bottle of water, please?"

The attendant glanced down at the passed-out Ralph and smiled. "Sure."

As the attendant moved out of her line of sight, a man stood up from his seat behind her and slowly made his way toward the back of the car. Paige had the strangest feeling that she'd seen him before, even though he didn't really look familiar. He was young, probably in his twenties, with short dark hair. But he was sweating and fidgety, and even though Paige tried to dismiss it as motion sickness, she couldn't shake the ugly feeling in her stomach.

Paige, careful not to disturb Ralph, fished through her purse and found her phone. Her instincts had saved her—and the others—more than once during a job, so she had to trust them. She pressed her second speed-dial button and waited for him to pick up.

"Paige?" Walter asked. She recognized that voice immediately—it was the one he had when he was pulled out of deep concentration. The Homeland case must have been a doozy. "You can't be in Phoenix yet. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know," she whispered. "There's someone on the train…maybe I'm just being paranoid, Walter, but I'm getting a really strong feeling that something bad is about to happen."

The genius took a deep breath and Paige could tell he was nervous. He'd learned to trust her judgment as much as she had. "But you and Ralph are safe?"

"For now, yes." She draped her arm over the young genius, who was still oblivious to the world. "I'm sure I've seen this man somewhere before. Look, tell me I'm being crazy, or help me figure out what's going on."

"Okay. Just stay calm," Walter said, more for himself than for her, she guessed. She heard him call out to Toby in the background. "I'm going to put you on speakerphone. Tell Toby exactly what made you suspicious."

Paige turned around as much as she could with her son in her lap, but she couldn't see the man anymore. She ran her hand nervously through her hair. "He got up and walked past me about three minutes ago. He was sweating, his hands were shaking, and he…I don't know, his eyes were darting all over the place, like he was looking for someone. And I swear that I know him somehow, Walter, I just don't know how."

There was no answer on the other line. "Hello?" she whispered urgently.

"I'm here," Walter said quickly. He and Toby were exchanging hushed words that Paige couldn't make out, and she knew that the shrink had agreed with her assessment. "You and Ralph are going to be fine. We'll contact the local police and any law enforcement officials that are on the train with you; statistically, there are probably two or three. Just stay with Ralph and keep your head down, okay?"

"Okay," she said, anxious but somehow also relieved. With Scorpion looking out for her, Paige didn't fear much—they were always there when she and Ralph needed them. "Thank you."

Walter clicked a button to take her off of speakerphone and cleared his throat. "Paige…"

"We're okay, Walter," she assured him, trying to convince herself and him that this was all a precaution, that they weren't really in any danger. "Unfortunately, we won't get out of visiting my mom that easily."

The genius let out a forced laugh and Paige wished more than anything that he was there. He would know exactly what to do. "Walter, I…"

Her voice died out as the man pushed open the door to her cabin. He wasn't shaking anymore. Before she could process what was happening, the man fired one shot from his pistol at the roof of the train and grabbed the attendant who had helped Paige earlier, pushing the gun against her temple. "Nobody leaves this car," he said in a voice that sent a shiver down her spine.

Paige dropped her phone.


	2. Hide

"Paige!" Walter hissed into the phone. "Paige, please answer me."

Soon after she heard the shot, the liaison grabbed Ralph and dragged them both onto the floor between the seats. She pushed her son behind her so that she could be between him and the gunman before scrambling to pick up her phone. "Walter?"

She could hear a sigh of relief from the genius and what sounded like the other team members as well. "Are you okay?" he asked in a strained voice.

"Yes," Paige whispered, looking over her shoulder to check on Ralph. He nodded at her silent question. "But I can't stay on the line. I was right about that man, Walter. He took the attendant hostage."

"Don't hang up," Walter said quickly, his breaths growing shallower. "Put your phone somewhere safe and keep us on the line so we can hear. Do what I said earlier and keep your head down, okay? Just…don't move."

"Okay," Paige breathed, looking around the small space for an ideal hiding spot. She settled on the mesh pocket behind the seat, typically used for safety pamphlets and boring travel magazines, and leaned over to whisper to Ralph. "What angle will help the phone pick up the most sound?"

The young genius took the device out of her hands and reached forward, gently wedging it into the seat pocket in a way that Paige was sure he had already calculated even before she asked. She had half expected Ralph to withdraw into his mind under this level of stress, but he seemed strangely calm. Paige sensed that the team had given him lessons on coping with anxiety without shutting down, and she was grateful. She needed him.

"Just stay with me," she said in a low voice, finding Ralph's hand with hers. "Scorpion will get us out of this."

* * *

"I should be there with them!" Walter yelled, knocking over the metal chair at his temporary Homeland workstation. Cabe had, wisely, put their end of the conversation on mute while the genius worked through his understandable frustration. "I was supposed to be on that train. I can't protect them from here!"

"Yes, you can," the agent rebutted, grabbing the chair and setting it upright. "Let it out and then pull yourself together, because you won't help Paige and Ralph by breaking furniture. Figure out whatever it is you need to do to keep them safe."

Walter stared at him before releasing a deep breath and dropping his shoulders. "Where are they right now?"

"They just passed Riverside," Toby chimed in, pointing to a blinking dot on his computer screen. "Next stop is Hemet in 32 miles. Heavily residential all the way through—it's going to be dangerous to stop the train, but we'll coordinate with the police and FRA." He took a step closer and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "They'll be fine, Walt. We can get them out safely."

Walter gave the shrink a nod of acknowledgement and cleared his throat. "Any luck finding someone on the train who can help?"

"Amtrak is upgrading their systems, the passenger manifests are all over the place," Sylvester shouted from his station. He turned around to look at Walter and Cabe, who were watching him expectantly, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But I will keep working on it."

"Sly, you stay here and listen to the call, see if you can find anything useful. Toby, let Happy know we're picking her up; we're going to need her," Walter said, pointing to the team members. "And Cabe? Tell Director Molina that Homeland will have to wait. We're catching up with that train."

* * *

"Mom," Ralph murmured, tapping Paige's shoulder.

"Yeah, baby?" she responded in the calmest voice she could muster. She knew that very shortly the police would stop the train, hostage negotiators would reach out to the gunman, and the team would be outside waiting for them. Until then, all she could do was hold her breath.

The young genius pressed his phone into her open palm and pointed to the screen. While her phone was recording the gunman's conversation with the attendant—she could only pick out stray words, but they seemed to be discussing a passenger that wasn't on the train—Walter was using her son's phone to contact them. It was a text message that said  _Can you find someplace to hide?_

_Maybe_ , she responded quickly. It struck her as odd that the gunman hadn't already taken their cell phones—she'd witnessed enough hostage situations during her time at Scorpion to know that was usually the case, but she certainly wasn't going to question the advantage as long as she had it.

Paige inhaled deeply before turning around to face Ralph. The last thing she wanted to do was ask him for help during an already stressful situation, but in the team's absence, she knew they would need his genius to get through this nightmare. "Did you see any good places?"

Ralph stared at the wall and tried to recreate what he had seen on the train when they boarded. "Thirteen feet behind us. There's a storage closet on our right side. I didn't calculate its dimensions, though, because there were people standing in front of it."

"That's fine," Paige said, slipping Ralph's phone into the pocket of her jeans. "We'll wing it."

She tried to move as noiselessly as possible while peering around the edge of the seat to study the gunman's position. He was pacing back and forth, keeping his pistol steadily trained on the attendant while she calmly attempted to talk him down.

Paige waited to make her move.

* * *

The call from Paige's phone had been almost entirely drowned out by the sounds of the train, so Sylvester ran it through a filter to remove background noise and could finally hear the conversation between the hostage taker and the attendant clearly. The man wanted to know if the attendant had seen a passenger—someone who was missing. Sly felt the color drain out of his face.

"Walter?" he called out shakily.

The genius was shoving his laptop and computer gear into his backpack. "What?"

Sylvester swiveled around in his chair and pulled off his headphones. "You need to get to that train. Now."

* * *

"Shut up!" the gunman snapped after the attendant encouraged him for the thirtieth time not to do anything reckless. "I can't think when you're talking."

Paige watched the exchange with rapt attention, biding her time until a suitable distraction would allow her and Ralph to move out of harm's way. She could hear her son behind her, breathing steadily, ready to follow her lead.

The attendant slowly stood up. Paige wanted to warn her to sit down, but she stayed silent, one hand gripping Ralph's arm, as the tall woman faced the gunman directly and said, in words that Paige was sure she would never forget, "You're not a killer."

The man stopped pacing and stared at her in deafening silence before raising his pistol. "You're right. I'm not," he sighed before pulling the trigger and shooting her in the chest.

Paige pressed her hands against her mouth to keep herself from screaming and held Ralph back with one hand on his chest so he wouldn't see the blood. There was no longer any chance of waiting it out; they needed to protect themselves. Even though she felt like her legs were crumbling under her, she knew that the frantic reactions among the rest of the passengers would provide enough cover. "Go," she mouthed to Ralph.

She could hear shouts and crying, but no one dared to move as the hostage taker continued to walk back and forth agitatedly. Ralph was still small enough to wiggle underneath the seats, so he crawled through the rows while Paige edged her way slowly along the aisle, crouching out of sight behind the seats whenever the gunman started to step in her direction.

Ralph reached the supply closet first and gingerly opened the door, working out almost subconsciously the exact angle he would need to move it in order to keep the hinges from squeaking. His face fell when he looked inside, studying the stacks of packaged blankets and cleaning supplies.

"There's only room for one person," he choked out.

"I know," Paige said soothingly. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before pushing Ralph forward into the closet. "Barricade yourself in here. I'll come back for you," she whispered, trying to forget the flash of panic on his face before she closed the door quickly behind him.

She dreaded leaving her son, but he had a better chance in there than anywhere else. She would find another way. Paige braced herself to stand before she heard the too-familiar click of a safety.

The liaison straightened up and turned around slowly to face the young man. "You have five seconds," he said as he leveled his pistol against her forehead, watching her coldly. "Where is Walter O'Brien?"

 


	3. Turn

"Absolutely not. We need you here," Director Molina said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Do you have any idea what the consequences of a Homeland security breach would be?"

"This is not up for discussion. We're leaving," Walter rebutted as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. "A member of our team and her child are being held by an armed gunman. Homeland's crisis can wait."

The director's expression softened and she let out a deep breath. "I'm well aware of the situation. And I am sorry. But the police have been notified, and hostage negotiators will take charge of the situation. That is their job."

"And protecting our team is my job," Walter said forcefully. "We don't work for the government; we're helping here as a courtesy. Cabe, Toby, and Sylvester are free to make their own decisions, but I'm going. I can help, and even if I couldn't, I'm sure as hell not going to let them go through this alone."

"We go where he goes," the shrink said, and Cabe and Sylvester shook their heads in agreement.

Director Molina had known the team long enough to understand that when they made up their minds to do something, there was no use arguing. She could have them arrested and locked up in a cell, but they would still refuse to help. "Fine. I can't stop you from going."

Walter nodded solemnly and made his way toward the door, the others trailing behind him. She grabbed Cabe's arm as he walked past. "Get them back here as soon it's over. Good luck."

"Thank you," he said before turning to leave.

"Cabe?"

The agent raised his eyebrow, and she sighed, kicking herself for disobeying her better judgment. "Take the chopper."

* * *

_I'm never going to see them again._

It was the only thought that ran through Paige's mind, over and over again. The other team members had told her that when they were staring down the barrel of a gun, they wondered about death, or tried to let go of their regrets. She assumed she would do the same, but all she could think was that she might never see Ralph and Walter again, and that realization caused her more pain than anything else possibly could.

"Three seconds," the man said again, wrapping his finger around the trigger but stopping just short of squeezing it. "Tell me where he is."

_I can't accept that,_ she thought in the last seconds that the gunman was giving her.  _I need them._

"Wh-what?" Paige stammered, clenching her fists and digging her fingernails into her palms. She could feel the emotion clouding her voice, and decided to use it to her benefit. "Please, I don't know what you want."

She could see the criminal's confidence starting to falter, but he shifted his weight and gripped the gun tighter. "Walter O'Brien. He was supposed to be on this train, but he's not. You," he stepped closer to Paige, and his proximity made her feel nauseated, "were sitting in the seat he was assigned. Where is he?"

"I don't know who that is," Paige replied shakily. The longer she could stall—the longer she could play dumb—the more time she might have to figure out what he wanted with Walter and keep herself and Ralph out of danger. "I'm going up to see my mother. It's just me here. No one else sat in the row so I figured it was empty and I sat by the window. Please," she pleaded, restraining herself from wiping the tears off of her face. She hated appearing weak, but it could help to sell her story. "I don't know anything."

The young man was debating whether or not to believe Paige; she could read it clearly on his face. He watched her closely for clues, and she tried to keep up the appearance of innocence, darting her eyes fearfully between him and the floor. The liaison let out an imperceptible sigh of relief as he relaxed his shoulders and lowered the gun to his side.

In one step he closed the distance between them, and rested his free hand on Paige's hip. She struggled to control her breath, but her mind was racing with a million thoughts about what terrible things he might do, even if he did believe her. She could at least take solace in the fact that he didn't appear to know—or care—about Ralph, and she forced herself not to give away his location by looking in the direction of the closet.

The man's fingers dipped lower until they reached Paige's jeans, and with a swift motion he pulled her son's phone from her pocket. Her gratitude at being free from his touch was short-lived as she realized what he was thinking. "We'll see," he said harshly as he clicked the device on. There was momentary confusion on his features as he pressed his fingers against the glass.

"What is this?" he asked as he held it up to reveal a string of white numbers scrolling rapidly across a dark screen. Paige bit back a smile. Of course Walter and Ralph would have developed an encryption system for his phone—they'd been doing coding exercises every morning before her son went to school. It must have reactivated when his phone went to sleep.

She would address the fact that they neglected to tell her about it later. "It's just this game I downloaded," she lied. "You have to match the numbers to unlock the phone."

"Or," the man countered, pushing his gun against her stomach. "You can unlock the phone and call Walter. And if you can't, then you're no longer of any use to me."

Paige thought quickly. There was no chance of her bringing Ralph into this, and even though the gunman might kill her anyway after she called Walter, it would give her a better chance. "Wait," she said steadily, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. "I can call him for you, just not on that. I have another phone by my seat. Let me get it."

He wasted no time in grabbing Paige's shoulder and twisting her around, pressing his firearm to her back. "Walk."

She complied, grateful for anything that would lead him farther away from Ralph. When they reached her row, she bent down slowly, keeping her hands in his view, and pulled her cell out of the seat pocket. The call was still connected—the team was already listening. Paige nodded at the man before turning on the speakerphone and holding the receiver up to her lips. "Walter?"

There was a beat of silence. "Paige?" Sylvester answered uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The liaison held up a finger for the gunman to wait as he watched her with growing impatience. "I need to talk to Walter. Right now."

"I'll patch you through," the mathematician replied quickly, and all she wanted was for her and Ralph to be there with him, with the team, with her family.

She heard a click on the line. "Paige," Walter said quietly. Her heart twisted when she heard the stress in his voice. "Where are you? What's happening?"

Paige was overcome with the desire to protect Walter, to keep him away from this criminal that wanted God knows what with him, but it wasn't an option, and she knew Walter wouldn't want her to put herself at any more risk than she already had. "He wants to talk to you."

The genius cleared his throat, and she could picture him gripping the phone to keep himself from breaking something. "You're with him right now?"

"Yes," she answered in a voice that she hoped sounded strong. She needed to be strong, for all of them. "I'm not hurt, Walter. I promise. He just wants to talk to you."

"Okay," he said, sounding slightly reassured by her words. "Give him the phone. Paige?" he added hastily.

"Yeah?"

"Is—?" Walter let the question hang in the air, unsure if he should say any more.

"Everyone is safe," Paige said emphatically. "It's probably a good thing I came alone, huh?"

The genius was silent, and she was sure that he understood.  _He doesn't know about Ralph, please don't tell him._ "I guess it is," he answered eventually, and Paige knew there was more he wanted to say, but there wasn't time. She extended the phone out to the gunman.

"Walter O'Brien," he said in the way that people greet friends they haven't seen in a long time. Paige was unnerved by his strange familiarity. "You were supposed to be on a romantic getaway with this beautiful woman. What made you miss it?"

"I'm her boss," Walter replied flatly. He had to watch everything he said; any details he let slip could be used against him. "We were going on a work trip."

"If that's true, then you're really missing out," he laughed, eyeing Paige appreciatively. She wanted to kick him. Repeatedly.

"Why don't you tell me what you want, Lucas?"

There was collective surprise from the other team members while Paige stared at the gunman in disbelief. He knew Walter, that much was clear, but how did Walter know...

She nearly jumped out of her skin as it dawned on her why he looked so familiar. She could picture him clearly on TV, being interviewed on a local news report about the death of Javier Barrios. Walter had been watching it so intently that he never even heard Paige come in, and when he noticed her standing behind him, he changed the channel and attempted to hide his shaking hands.

"Nothing gets past you, Walter," Lucas snickered. "Well, almost nothing."

The genius didn't speak for a long minute, and Paige grew nervous. If he allowed the man to get under his skin, it would cause a world of problems for all of them. "I won't ask again," Walter told him in an icy voice. "What do you want?"

"I want you to come here so we can talk face-to-face," he said, gesturing with his gun and making Paige exceedingly nervous. "Meet me at the next station and I'll tell you exactly how to save your…" Lucas glanced at her, "employee and the other hostages."

Walter cleared his throat again. "I'm on my way."

"Of course you are," he replied. "And hurry up. The cops will be here soon and you know I've never really been a fan of theirs…could get ugly."

"I said I'm on my way. Let me talk to Paige."

Lucas looked between her and the phone before shrugging and handing her the device. "Make it quick," he snapped. "And don't say anything I'm going to have to shoot you for, okay?"

Paige nodded and closed her eyes, wanting to shut out everything but Walter's voice. "Please be careful," she said softly. Deep down, she and Walter both knew that Lucas wanted more than to talk.

"Just hang on," the genius insisted, matching her tone. "We're coming for you."

"I know," was all she had a chance to say before Lucas reached over and hung up the phone.


	4. Push

Paige looked out the window, watching long stretches of forest fly past her. She could only tell that the train was slowing down as the scenery came into clearer and clearer view. The liaison had been in her original row since her conversation with Walter, Lucas keeping a close eye on her while he paced back and forth through the row. He never seemed able to stand still.

The gun, at least, had become less of an issue. It was stuffed into the waistband of his jeans, where he would reflexively check for it every few minutes. Lucas clearly didn't view her as a flight risk, and she wasn't, although she had no intention of revealing to him why she wouldn't escape even if she had the chance. Paige prayed that Ralph was staying strong without her.

Lucas drew his pistol again, but he wasn't pointing it at anyone in particular. As Paige felt the train slow to a crawl, she realized that they had reached Hemet Station. The rows of police cars and uniformed officers waiting for them was a welcome sight. "Listen up," he announced loudly, commanding the attention of the other passengers. "Everyone needs to move to the next car. When the train stops, get off. Clear?"

The six other riders in the cabin looked at him with a mixture of shock and confusion. They were prepared for many things, but being let go obviously wasn't one of them. When nobody moved, Lucas motioned toward the door with his firearm. "Get. Out."

They exchanged brief looks among themselves and nodded, one middle-aged man taking his place by the connecting door and ushering the passengers through. Two other men picked up the attendant, who was wrapped in a blanket, and carried her out with them. Paige wasn't even sure if she was dead or alive.

Lucas turned back to her and shot her a look of fake sympathy. "Not you. You're staying with me until Walter gets here."

"Why are you allowing the train to stop?" Paige asked, tapping her fingers nervously against her leg. He'd made it clear that she was necessary leverage, so he wasn't likely to kill her if she dared to talk. But she wouldn't try to appeal to his better nature, as the attendant did—she just wanted to know what he had planned for Walter.

"More hostages means more room for complications," he said simply as he traversed the length of the train car, pulling the dark red shades down over every window. "To get Walter, I only need the one person he cares about the most."

He glanced at her pointedly, and Paige shook her head. "Why would that be me?" she tried again, hoping to at least develop doubts in his mind about the strength of his plan. "We just work together."

Lucas smirked and stared at the shaded window as he spoke. "Walter thinks he's so great at hiding his emotions, doesn't he? Pretending he doesn't have any. But it was so obvious, when you called him. I knew everything I needed to know."

"What was obvious?" Paige asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.

He looked directly into her eyes, and she forced herself to hold his steely gaze to show that she wasn't afraid. Even if she was. "That he's in love with you."

Paige swallowed hard. She continually tried to protect Walter, pretending that she wasn't anyone special to him, but Lucas didn't buy it. He knew better. He was one step ahead of them, every time. But she also felt a twinge at his words, and knowing that they were true—knowing that Walter would do anything to help her—gave her a strange sort of strength.

She switched tactics. "Javier died fifteen months ago. Why all of this now?"

He slid into the seat across from Paige and leaned forward, clasping his hands in his lap. "It eats away at me. The fact that people only knew Javier as a criminal. They don't know who he really was. What he did for people like me," Lucas muttered. "He was like my brother. And then the other day his little girl Mia, she's five years old, she asks me about him. She asks me if he was bad because that's what her mother said. No one was going to tell her the truth, so that's on me now. I have to make sure that everyone knows the truth."

The liaison wasn't sure how to respond—she couldn't believe that he would risk his life and the lives of others out of loyalty to an unapologetic thief and murderer. "Walter didn't kill him, Lucas. It was an accident."

"He meant it," the man countered forcefully. "I saw the video. Walter let him die."

"Javier put one of our friends in a coma with an IED," Paige said gently. It would be dangerous to aggravate him, but perhaps she could talk some sense into him, or at least weaken his resolve. "He wasn't a good man, Lucas. Why do you feel so indebted to him?"

"Because he's the only person who ever looked out for me," Lucas said matter-of-factly before withdrawing Paige's phone from his back pocket. "We've waited long enough. It's time to do what I came here for."

* * *

"Walter, I don't like the idea of you being here," Cabe grumbled as he and Walter jumped out of the chopper and walked toward the crowd of police and FBI officials. "We already know this Lucas kid wants revenge."

"He's right," Happy intervened from behind them. "You heard Sylvester's intel—it's just Paige and Lucas on the train car right now. We don't know where Ralph is yet, but apparently he's protected. The police are probably using thermal sensors right now to figure out where to make their approach. You being here is exactly what Lucas wants."

"That's true," Sylvester interjected nervously.

Walter stopped suddenly and spun around, staring down the rest of the team. "He will kill Paige. Do you understand? Lucas doesn't care if he lives or dies—if he did, he would have picked a much easier way to hurt me. If they storm that train, he will kill her and himself, and Ralph could be in danger too. I will not take that risk. The most effective option is for me to talk to Lucas and find out what he wants."

The genius raised his eyebrow expectantly at the group, but they stayed silent. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and walked away from them to answer it.

"Not good," Happy murmured.

* * *

"I'm here. Tell me what you want," Walter said in a clipped voice as he answered Lucas's call. He couldn't let the rest of Scorpion find out; they would never allow him to negotiate with Lucas.

"So glad you could make it," the gunman replied sarcastically. "You can try to reason with the police, but you and I both know they're coming on to this train no matter what you say. So if you want her to live, my terms are simple. You for her."

Walter sighed and dragged his hand over his face. "All of the exits are covered. There's no way for me to get on the train without the police knowing, and they'll never go for it."

"Not all of them," Lucas replied smugly. "I picked out a special one for you. There's a hatch under car three—the police are only focused on the car they think we'll be in. You're smart, Walter; I have faith you'll figure it out."

"And Paige gets off the train? Uninjured?" the genius asked after a moment of silence.

"That's the deal. Take it or leave it," Javier answered, knowing full well what Walter would choose. "And I don't think I need to say this, but just so we're clear, it will be my pleasure to kill your girlfriend if I even sense that you've gotten anyone else involved."

Walter picked out the third car on the train. Lucas was right; it was barely guarded, and the genius could identify several blind spots in the police officers' vision. He felt the gears in his mind start to turn. "Give me five minutes."

* * *

The heat was becoming unbearable.

As long as the train was moving, the closet had been ventilated by the rushing air from the outside; but now that they were at the station, he was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe in the enclosed space.

Ralph could hear his mother's voice from time to time, so he knew that she was still alive, even if he couldn't make out most of the discussion between her and the gunman. He'd also heard the other hostages leave, and he knew that he had minutes to do the same before he passed out.

He tapped his fingers lightly against every inch of the closet walls until he heard a hollow clinking sound. He carefully tore away the blue fabric covering the area until he revealed a square panel, facing the exterior of the train. By his calculations, it would be just large enough for him to squeeze himself through.

Ralph searched through the contents of a plastic orange box near his side until he found the perfect tool—a spackling knife. He wedged its flat edge into the corner of the panel and wiggled it until the panel fell to the ground and a blinding burst of sunlight streamed in. The young genius stepped gingerly on top of an overturned bucket and pushed himself through the narrow opening, relieved to see the heavy police presence outside.

He forced himself the rest of the way out and tumbled onto the mercifully soft grass below. The boy heard someone call his name—tentatively, like a question—and wondered if he had imagined it when he heard it again. Ralph broke into a grin when he saw the source walking toward him.

"Walter!"


	5. Surrender

"Ralph," Walter said with audible relief, wrapping his arms around the young genius and pulling him in for a tight hug. He finally let go, maintaining his grip on Ralph's shoulders. "Where have you been? How did you get out?"

The boy put his fingers to his lips and pointed at the opened panel above him. If Lucas heard them speaking and found out that Ralph had been on the train, he could take it out on Paige. "She's okay," he whispered, and Walter let out a deep, jagged breath. "She made me get in the closet and hide. He never knew I was there."

"You did good, buddy," Walter assured him as he reached up and stroked Ralph's hair. "The rest of the team is here. Go find them, okay? I'm going to get your mom out of there. She'll be safe, I promise. That man just wants to talk to me."

Ralph's skepticism was clear, but he simply nodded and leaned in to hug Walter again. Over the previous few years, the two geniuses had learned a lot about how to connect with others and what purpose it served. Despite their protests, it had made them better—happier—and it was all thanks to Paige. She never gave up on them, even when they had both seemed like lost causes. They certainly couldn't give up on her now.

"Hey," Walter murmured as he and Ralph separated. "I need you to give Cabe a message."

* * *

A surprising wave of emotion hit the agent as he saw Ralph sprinting across the grass toward them. Toby reached the boy first and scooped him up, with Happy and Sylvester following to ruffle his hair and rub his back, respectively.

He was physically unharmed, but even more importantly, he was smiling and conversing with the team. Although Walter didn't vocalize it, Cabe knew he was worried that if the pressure and fear became too much for Ralph, he might shut down and it would be a long journey to get him to open up again. But the agent felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he realized that the young genius was okay. Watching Ralph every day at the garage was so much like seeing Walter as a child, and Cabe was grateful for the second chance, the opportunity to learn from his mistakes and do better.

Cabe had expected Walter to rush to the boy's side, but he was noticeably absent. He scanned the station, but found no sight of the Scorpion leader anywhere. "Guys, where's Walter?"

The group looked around and shrugged. "He probably just needed time to calm down. I'll go find him," Happy volunteered.

But Cabe's eyes were on Ralph, who was looking straight at him with a knowing expression. "I don't think that's necessary," he said to the mechanic before crouching down to Ralph's level. "Ralph, where's Walter?"

* * *

Walter pulled himself through the hatch into car three, brushing gravel off of his pants. The front half of the car was obscured by a series of standing billboards, shielding his entry point from the eyes of the police officers—not that it would have mattered anyway. Of the three guards assigned to that section of the train, two were engaged in a heated conversation about football—another example of sports turning mildly competent individuals into idiots, as far as Walter was concerned—and the other was surreptitiously laughing at a video on his phone. These were the people that Director Molina wanted him to leave Paige's fate to? Not a chance.

The genius moved through the car, keeping his body low to avoid being seen through the windows. His breath caught when he first heard Paige's voice—a little nervous, but clear and steady. For all of his talk, Lucas hadn't hurt her. She was asking him questions about Javier—where he grew up, what his family was like. Walter recognized it as a stall tactic, and he felt a tinge of pride for Paige as she used her skills to keep Lucas calm.

He slid open the connecting door as gently as possible, timing his transition into the next car when the guards were distracted, which didn't turn out to be a difficult task. Walter straightened up as he entered their section and saw Lucas sitting across from Paige, gun in hand. His muscles stiffened as he thought about all the things he wanted to do to Lucas right then, but he forced himself to remain in control. It was Paige's only chance.

"Walter," she said in a watery voice as her eyes met his. In a quick motion, Lucas pulled Paige to her feet and positioned himself behind her, the pistol pushed against her temple. Walter held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"I'm here," the genius said, compelling himself to focus on Lucas instead of her. He wasn't sure he would be able to carry through with his plan if he allowed himself to process her reaction, the panic etched into her features. "Let her go. That's the deal."

"No!" the liaison cried, sending an awful shiver down his spine. All of her resolve—all of her confidence—had crumbled the moment she laid eyes on him. Even if Walter had a plan, Lucas's sole purpose was to hurt him, and Paige suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. "Walter, listen to me. You can't give yourself up. I never should have called you. I should have—."

"Stop talking. This doesn't concern you," Lucas interjected, tightening his grip on the gun and her shoulder.

Walter felt sick watching him treat her that way, but she would be free soon enough. The genius took a slow step forward, keeping his hands raised. "Just let her go. You have what you wanted."

Paige shook her head fervently. "I can't leave," she said quietly, hoping he would understand.

"Everything is okay, Paige. Everyone you care about is waiting for you right outside." Walter cleared his throat and looked into her eyes. "Scoop."

She let out a shaky sigh and nodded in acknowledgement, blinking back her tears. Lucas tapped his foot impatiently. "I hate to ruin this touching moment, but—."

"I trust you," Paige said forcefully, not taking her eyes off of Walter. "You can still find another way."

Walter stared at her with unnerving intensity, a look that Paige knew too well. He'd had it before, when he traded himself for her on the cruise ship; he was studying her, trying to memorize her in case this was the last time they would ever see each other.

"I will always choose this, Paige. You…you're my family." He swallowed hard, and Paige knew that he was including Ralph, even though he couldn't say it. "I will always protect you, and I will never regret it."

"I can't let you do this," Paige replied weakly, knowing she had no chance of changing Walter's mind but wishing desperately that she did.

The genius flashed her a sad smile. "Whatever happens, Paige, I need you to do something for me."

"Nothing's going to happen—."

"Please, Paige," he begged, and she fell silent, nodding for him to continue. "Stay with Scorpion. They…they need you. They need you to make them eat, and help them fill out paperwork, and keep them from getting lost in their own minds. And they will take care of you. Even if I'm not there, you'll be safe with them." His shoulders dropped, and Paige realized frantically that he was resigning himself to an inevitable fate. He was giving up. "You'll always have a family, Paige. And I'll be okay knowing that you're with them."

The world was closing in around her, and she felt powerless to stop it. "Walter…" she choked, her chest tightening unbearably.

"Promise me," he said firmly. His need to comfort her was overwhelming—Walter had never been able to withstand seeing anyone in pain, least of all Paige. But there were no words that accurately conveyed how far he was willing to go for her, how much he would sacrifice. He could only show her.

Paige pressed her eyes shut to control her tears. Walter barely heard her as she whispered, "I promise."

"A deal is a deal," Lucas shrugged. "It's time."

The genius nodded understandingly and closed the distance between him and Paige. She reached out and grazed her fingers lightly against his before Lucas pushed her away and turned the gun on Walter. "Go," the criminal commanded.

Paige looked uncertainly to Walter. "Go," he repeated. "Take care of them."

Her hands shaking violently, Paige grabbed the metal handle on the connecting door and turned to face Walter one last time. "I love you," she breathed before sliding open the door and jumping out, shutting it behind her.

"Finally," Lucas said when she was gone. "Down to business."

Walter lowered his hands, careful not to spook Lucas by moving too quickly. "You won't get out of this. As soon as we step outside, they're going to shoot you."

"I know," he said in a tone so calm that it chilled Walter. "All I have to do is get to you first."

"Why risk your life for him?" Walter asked, figuring that if he might die, he wanted to at least understand the reason. "What did Javier do to warrant all of this?"

Lucas adjusted the pistol, pushing it against the back of Walter's head. If he was trying to inspire fear in the genius, he wasn't succeeding. What he felt was something else, something more like loss—the loss of all the things he might have done, with Scorpion, with Paige and Ralph. Everything he could have experienced, the good and the bad: seeing Ralph graduate, marrying Paige, fighting with the team, saving the world and watching it crumble again. It would all be beyond his reach.

"When I was fifteen, I was on my way home from school and I ran into this gang from my neighborhood," Lucas started, sounding strangely nostalgic. "They beat me to within an inch of my life and left me in an alley. Most of my bones were broken, my lung had collapsed. I laid there just…waiting to die. Knowing that I had no chance. Probably like you are now."

Walter didn't say anything, just stared straight ahead. Lucas cleared his throat and continued. "And then Javier found me. Got me help. He took me in, taught me how to fight, how to take care of myself. We worked together, making money and getting whatever we wanted. We were partners. He was…Javier was the only person who ever cared about me."

"He brainwashed you," Walter argued, shaking his head. "I saw your record; I looked you up after I saw you on the news. Robberies, drive-by shootings—Javier made you think that he was your only friend and used you to do his dirty work. He doesn't deserve your loyalty."

"Javier deserved better than anything he ever got," he spit back. "Better than anyone ever gives people like us. You think it's just about me? About Javier? This is for everyone I know that got the worst hands in life and were treated like villains because of what they did to survive. You don't know what that's like. You and your friends and all those police officers out there—you won't understand unless I make you understand."

Walter felt the gnawing sensation in his chest grow. He'd hoped there was still a chance to reason with Lucas and end this with both of them walking out of there, but he was sure now that only one of them would survive—or maybe neither of them.

"The police will search my house, obviously, and they'll find everything," Lucas said too casually for someone who was planning a suicide mission. "All the journals I've written explaining why I did it. The media will cover every detail exhaustively. And we'll finally get the recognition we deserve."

Walter nodded slowly as he understood why Lucas had gone through all this trouble—why he didn't just murder Walter at the garage, or out with Paige. "If you commit suicide, no one pays attention. But if you kill me publicly…"

"I would just be another poor kid caught up in a bad situation, but you…when you die, everyone will look," Lucas confirmed as he shifted the gun to his other hand and peeked behind the window curtain. "Good. They're here."

"They?" Walter asked, raising an eyebrow.

He grabbed the genius's shoulder and pushed him toward the back of the car. "The media," Lucas clarified, cocking his gun against Walter's skull. "Get ready, Mr. O'Brien. You're about to be famous."


	6. Save

The moment she closed the door, Paige let go. She reached a safe distance from the train and collapsed onto her knees, no longer able to hold back her sobs. She was vaguely aware of two EMTs coming to check her for injuries, but Toby was there to wave them away, explaining that he was a doctor and would take care of it.

It all felt like a blur as Toby and Happy leaned down next to her, and then Ralph appeared out of nowhere, throwing his arms around her and holding on to her for dear life. She relished the moment, the first time she had seen him in hours, and breathed a sigh of relief that they were both safe. Paige pulled him impossibly closer and kissed the side of his head. "I'm so proud of you, baby. You did so good. I'm so proud of you," she found herself murmuring over and over.

"Paige…" Toby said tentatively, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Her body started to shake and the shrink tightened his hand to stabilize her. "Paige, what happened?"

The liaison reluctantly released Ralph from her grasp and turned toward the shrink. "Lucas is going to kill him," she said in a voice that didn't sound like her own. "I left. I left him there—."

"Shhh. It's okay," Toby soothed her, bending down on his knees and grabbing her right hand. "Walter wanted you to be out here with Ralph. It's okay. Just tell me what happened."

Paige's mouth felt dry and her head was spinning, but she forced herself to stay in control, knowing that any information she could give him might mean the difference between Walter's life and death. With Ralph curled up in her lap, her arms wrapped around him protectively, Paige racked her brain for details—everything tiny thing that Lucas had said and done. Toby listened attentively to her as Happy relayed the details to another party through her earpiece.

"Good. That's really good, Paige," Toby muttered as he shot to his feet, waving over two police officers to watch them. "We have to move. Stay here with Ralph."

"I can't lose him." The words sounded pitiful, but they were the only ones she could manage. The psychologist nodded solemnly and squeezed her shoulder again.

"You won't. I promise."

* * *

Walter had played his part for long enough. Now that Paige was safe, he had nothing left to lose. If Lucas did kill him, Walter would go down fighting.

The young man gripped the genius's shoulder roughly, his weapon pressed against Walter's head. The pressure made his head pound, but he inhaled deeply to keep himself focused. He took slow steps, allowing Lucas to guide him, until his opportunity came. With a sweep of his hand, Walter knocked over a coffee mug from a pulled-out tray table, sending it to the floor and crushing the blue ceramic into pieces.

The sound threw Lucas off guard, and Walter ducked as he fired a shot. He charged Lucas, tackling him onto the ground. The gun clattered onto the floor and Walter pinned him down as he reached for it. He swung at Walter, landing punches on his nose and jaw and sending the genius reeling backward. Lucas's reflexes were fast, and he grabbed the gun, squeezing the trigger blindly.

Walter felt a searing pain as the bullet grazed his arm, but he pushed through it, grabbing a sharp-edged shard from the mug and using it to slice Lucas's leg. The criminal clutched the injury, letting out a yell as he struggled to crawl over to the gun. Walter beat him to it and jumped onto his feet, aiming the pistol at Lucas.

The man finally looked up at Walter with frustration evident on his face. He pushed himself up with his arms, struggling to lift his cut leg. Walter steadied his nervous hands around the gun, ignoring the stinging from his own wound. "I don't want to shoot you," he said as he stepped backward.

Lucas's face contorted as he leveraged himself on one of the seats and rose slowly, pulling his injured leg behind him. Walter stepped backward again, feeling dizziness overtake him as the blood from his arm started to soak through his shirt. Lucas's eyes showed no signs of fear. "You'll have to kill me to stop me."

"Don't do this," Walter warned, realizing that he was running out of space. His strength was fading, and he wouldn't make it to the door without Lucas catching up to him. The genius wrapped his finger around the trigger but faltered before he could pull it. He had already been the cause of so much death…he wasn't sure he could cope with any more.

Two gunshots reverberated in Walter's ears, and he dropped the pistol, watching in shock as Lucas dropped to his knees and collapsed on the floor. He looked up to see Agent Gallo in full tactical gear, his own weapon drawn.

"Cabe…" he choked out, feeling his legs give way under him. The agent rushed to his side and lowered him against the wall.

"Hey, hey, you're okay," the older man said, tearing off a section of his jacket and wrapping it around Walter's arm to stem the bleeding. When he was done, Cabe supported Walter's waist and hoisted him up, satisfied that he was able to stand.

Sunlight washed over them as they stepped off the train, officers racing past them to secure the car and take care of Lucas's body. He vaguely noticed lights flashing as the media took pictures, but he lost all awareness of their presence as Ralph raced toward them, jumping up and clinging tightly to Walter. He barely even felt the pain as he let go of Cabe and gripped the boy with his better arm.

"Walter!" Paige cried out before she reached him seconds later, nearly colliding with the genius. He didn't have time to reply before she grabbed his face and kissed him hard, ignoring the blood and scrapes on his skin. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything but them, together, in a world of their own while chaos unfolded around them.

Walter held Ralph tighter and leaned his forehead against Paige's, finally finding his voice. "I love you," he whispered. "Both of you."

* * *

The doctors confirmed that Walter hadn't suffered any major nerve damage, stitched up his arm and pumped him full of painkillers before sending him home. Paige and Ralph stayed at the garage over the following three days, barely leaving his side except to sleep and eat—although they often did both with him. He wasn't quite ready to let them out of his sight yet.

Cabe gave him time to rest before coming to visit. He knew that the genius would have questions; he was still foggy from the pain medication, but eventually he would start to piece together the events of that day.

"Hey," the agent said, holding up a brown paper bag. "I brought Chinese food."

"Thank you." Walter pushed himself upright on the couch. "Sweet and sour chicken?"

"What else?" Cabe joked, handing him a white container and a fork. "I figured you might not be up for chopsticks," he added, gesturing to Walter's bandaged arm.

Walter raised his eyebrow and grinned. "Give me a few more days."

The agent returned his smile and settled onto the couch next to him. They ate their food in silence until Walter broached the inevitable subject. "Are you going to tell me how you got on the train?"

Cabe shrugged. "The same way you did."

"That's impossible. I closed the hatch after I went through it. It was locked from the inside."

"Exactly," Cabe answered, pointing a chopstick at him. He waited for Walter to fill in the blanks; the genius needed some mental exercise anyway.

"You had people on the train," Walter chuckled, resting his takeout on the table and turning to face Cabe. "They were waiting for you."

"Two off-duty cops, actually. Sylvester found them on the passenger manifests and we contacted them by phone. They cleared everyone off the train and stayed behind. Unlocked the hatch for me. Happy and Sylvester ran down other entrances, but we didn't want to risk making Lucas nervous, so it was the quietest option."

Walter stared at Cabe in disbelief. "You already knew, didn't you? You knew exactly what I was going to do."

"More or less," the agent said. "It wasn't hard to guess what you would do when Paige and Ralph were in danger. You just did it a little faster than I was anticipating. And then Ralph gave me your message…" Walter winced, guilt briefly coloring his features. "That you were saying goodbye. So we had to move quickly. It wasn't a perfect plan, but hey, it worked."

"And you didn't tell me," Walter said, not as a question but a statement.

"Your emotions were real. Lucas believed you," Cabe answered after a moment. "And you have a hard time trusting me. I understand why. But I'm always behind you, Walter."

The genius propped his elbow against the back of the couch and scratched the side of his face. "You saved me from killing Lucas. I owe you for that."

"You don't owe me anything. I would never let you carry that burden again," Cabe said seriously. He cleared his throat and treaded more lightly. "And the attendant is stable too. She'll need a few more surgeries and some rehab, but she'll be okay."

Walter could discern the meaning behind his words.  _No more death. Nothing on your hands. Let it go._ "Thanks, Cabe."

* * *

"Do you have my iPod?" Paige asked as she zipped up the side of her duffel bag and handed it to Walter.

"Yes," the genius replied, "but I'm only giving it to you if I get veto power."

"Deal," she chirped before tugging on Walter's collar and pulling him in for a short kiss. "Thank you for coming with me and Ralph. I know it's a long drive—."

He held up a hand to cut her off. "Paige, there is literally no way I'm not going with you this time."

She laughed nervously, the memory of their doomed train trip still fresh in her mind. They'd waited a few weeks before rescheduling to visit her mother, but she didn't want to put any pressure on him—he'd certainly done enough for her already. "But what if Homeland has another crisis?" she asked sarcastically.

Walter rolled his eyes. "Homeland is in a constant state of crisis. But I'm sure Toby and Sly and Happy can handle it again."

He pretended to be annoyed, but he was actually impressed by the work the other Scorpion members had been doing. They were standing on their own, without him. And although he loved heading up the team, he was happy to know that it could still run while he devoted more time to Paige and Ralph.

"Let me make sure Ralph's ready," Paige said, pecking his cheek before heading off in search of her son. Walter gathered their bags and made his way down the stairs from the loft, sighing when he ran into Toby at the bottom.

"So," the shrink said, leaning against the railing, "nervous about meeting Mama Dineen?"

Walter glanced over and shook his head. "I think I've done scarier things, Toby."

"You are really underestimating the in-law effect, my friend. But have a good trip. And, uh, Walt?" he asked as the genius started to walk away.

Walter looked back. "Yeah?"

"That is a suspiciously square box in your pocket," Toby noted, motioning to Walter's hooded sweatshirt. "Almost…" he wagged his finger at the genius, "like the box that an engagement ring might come in."

The psychologist followed as Walter's gaze drifted to the door, where Paige was helping Ralph put on his coat, and watched a smile form on his lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Toby."


End file.
